In a standard procedure for preparing filaments of poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide)(MPD-I), isophthaloyl chloride (ICl) is condensed with m-phenylene diamine (MPD) in dimethylacetamide (DMAc) as solvent. Hydrogen chloride (HCl) is a by-product. The HCl is ordinarily neutralized with lime since it is highly corrosive. The salt which forms, calcium chloride, must ultimately be removed and disposed of. Presence of the salt in the solution limits the solubility of the MPD-I and hinders removal of the solvent during the spinning process. This all works against obtaining high solids MPD-I solutions which are desirable for spinning processes.